Pope Francis appears for the first time on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican March 13.

VATICAN CITY (CNS)—The tens of thousands of rain-drenched pilgrims
who filled St. Peter's Square March 13 joyously cheered the new leader
of the church, Pope Francis.
Cheers of "Francesco! Francesco! Francesco!" resounded throughout the
square as he greeted the exuberant crowd in Italian and blessed them
from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica.

When the name of Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was initially
announced, the crowd was momentarily quiet and visibly puzzled about who
he was, but they clapped and cheered when they heard the name Francis,
even if they still didn't know much about him.

"The choice of the name was beautiful for us. St. Francis is the patron
saint of Italy," said Celsa Negrini of Rome, who was in the crowd. "It
was a beautiful evening. We're so happy to have an Argentine pope and it
was about time we had someone from Latin America."
"He seems very humble; his demeanor seems very positive. He will be a pope who evangelizes people's consciences," she added.

The crowd, many of whom had already waited for hours in the rain to see
if there would be smoke from the Sistine Chapel, waited another hour
after shouting and cheering about the white smoke and rushing to get as
close as they could to the front of St. Peter's Basilica to catch a
glimpse of the new pontiff.

The crowd noticed every indication that the new pope would be appearing.
They cheered when the marching band walked up to the steps of St.
Peter's and again when the lights went on in the second floor of the
basilica and later when curtains moved on the balcony. By this time the
pouring rain that had gone on all day had come to a stop.

Father Giovanni Rizzo, a priest from the Archdiocese of Newark, N.J.,
studying canon law in Rome, told the people near him who the new pope
was. When the name was announced he told them the new pope was Argentine
and a Jesuit, details he confirmed on his smartphone.

Those around him nodded and seemed happy about the news. The Italian
Franciscan sisters standing nearby were thrilled with the pope's chosen
name.

The crowd was even more thrilled when Pope Francis, in fluent Italian,
led them in praying the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be. When he
asked for their silent prayers for him the crowd responded by praying in
absolute silence. For the first time in hours at the square, distant
police sirens could be heard.

Just prior to the announcement of the new pope, Father Rizzo told
Catholic News Service that it was very exciting to be with everyone
awaiting the pope's arrival on the balcony.
"It's a great moment of community," he said.

That feeling of community lingered after the pope said his words of
greeting, ending with "have a good night and have a good rest" in
Italian, and the crowd dispersed. Some hugged each other; many took
pictures; many were talking excitedly about what they had just seen. The
streets were filled with people in a very party-like atmosphere.

Although no one who spoke with CNS seemed to know much about the new pope, it did not dissuade their enthusiasm.

Father Elievev Israel Sandoval Espinoza of the Archdiocese of Monterrey,
Mexico, said it was a "historic day without a doubt for the whole
world, not just Latin America."
Like so many in the crowd who liked the new pope's name, he said the
name signifies many things such as change, faith and prayer.

Father Simon Gras, a priest from Barcelona, Spain, said the announcement
of the new pope was "a great joy, an immense joy." He was pleased that
the pope was from Argentina, and a Jesuit, but above all, that he took
the name of St. Francis: "a man who has no fear. His name is about
humility and poverty."